Winter Park wins slugfest over University

Quarterback J.P. Colton runs for two long TDs and throws for another score for Wildcats

Winter Park QB #16 JP Colton runs the ball during the High school… (Joe Petro / Special to the…)

September 20, 2013|By Buddy Collings, Orlando Sentinel

WINTER PARK — The way Tim Shifflet sees it, toughness in the trenches is a prerequisite to having any chance to win this year's rugged Class 8A, District 3 football race.

The Winter Park coach saw enough grit on Friday to know his team is in the thick of the slugfest.

Senior quarterback J.P. Colton broke two long touchdown keepers and passed for another score and the Wildcats more than held their own up front against physical Orlando University to win their district opener 27-22 at Showalter Field.

Winter Park ran its record to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in a district that includes state-ranked Oviedo (4-0, 1-0) and Timber Creek (1-1, 0-0). Those three teams and University (2-1, 0-1) made 8A-3 the only area district with four teams ranked in this week's Sentinel Super 16.

University, which never led, made it a one-score game when Marquese Surrell made a leaping catch of a 34-yard TD pass by Stephen Ulmer with 6:39 remaining.

Winter Park covered the ensuing onside kick attempt, but then fumbled the ball away on an exchange. University's Isaiah French recovered at the Wildcats 40 to give his team a chance. That threat ended when Wildcats' safety Cameron Gergley intercepted Ulmer on a third-down pass.

Colton sealed the deal by converting a fourth-and-one by inches with a sneak to the University 3-yard-line with 1:29 to go. He twice took a knee to run out the clock.

Colton gained 139 of Winter Park's 227 rushing yards. University, a team built on its power game, was held to 130 yards on the ground.

"We couldn't move the ball consistently because we couldn't run it up inside," Cougars coach Don Stark said. "Those [Winter Park] guys are stout up front."

C.J. Branch, a 6-4, 300-pound tackle, combined with sophomore Jeremy Samuels, blue-chip end Trent Harris and linebackers Tommy Whitted and Jacob Gregory to lead a defense that limited University speedster Allen Gipson to 77 yards on 20 carries.

"It all starts with the offensive line opening holes," Colton said. "Once I see that open space I put the jets on."

After its first score Winter Park surprised University with an angled pooch kickoff that speedy Gabe McClary snatched on one bounce 30 yards downfield to give his team another opportunity. On third-and-goal from the 19 Colton tossed a swing pass to Elliott Hammond, who picked up a downfield block from guard Tony Bergalowski and swerved into the end zone for a 14-0 lead late.

"We knew we had to run the ball and stop the run," Shifflet said. "That's always been the key to high-school football and that's not going to change."

Winter Park matched its win total from an uncharacteristic 4-6 season of 2012.